forgeblast
Elite Member
Solar heaters.
I have to thank garygary for all his help. He really walked me though some areas where I was stuck.
Parts list
2- 4x8 sheets of plywood
4-2x6x12 pt lumber
2-2x4x12 pine
2-4x8 sheets of Twin Wall Polycarbonate Sheets
Twin Wall, 8mm Clear - GEMPLER'S
4-12 sealing strips for the polycarb
Aluminum tape
Silicon
Spray foam
High heat paint black
Aluminum screen in grey
Brown soffit painted with high heat paint
4 red oak vent covers Whittington Wooden Wall Return | Signature Hardware
4 Back draft Damper (I wanted a silent one not a metal one that we could hear) Whole house cooling fans, attic ventilation, exhaust fans, bathroom fans
2 Panasonic fans model fv-08wq1 venting fan, whisper quiet Panasonic FV-08WQ1 | Extra Quiet Bath Exhaust Fans | Westside Wholesale had it for the cheapest almost 70.00 less then anyone else.
2-4x8 sheets of polyisocyanurate insulation
2 tubes of foam glue
1 adjustable hole cutter (hard finding an 8鋳 bit)(ebay had it)
Cut the 2x6 down and attach to the plywood. Seal with silicon. Attach the insulation to the box you have just made. Seal with silicon. Once cured paint with high heat paint.
Cut the pine into 1x2 strips and paint with high heat paint. Fit into the box but do not attach yet. Cut the soffit down and paint (I made the soffit 2鋳 longer then needed so that I could cut and attach it to the box. Next check out the wiring and plan for your cuts.
Mark out studs. Cut and then attach the boxes. Put in the fan, duct, and damper. Add the wooden grill. I ran the cords to a light switch so that I can turn them on and off (that was the plan anyway).
What changed was, I was worried about this actually working and I was also worried about the thermal protection that the fan had (if it hits 94 degrees it turns off). So my plan instead of putting four holes in the wall, I decided to use a movable system so that in the summer time, I can put the boxes away when I put the ac in.
I cut another sheet of polyisocyanurate insulation to fit my double window. I then installed the fan and back draft protection (see above). I used two sections of insulation one on the inside and one on the outside to create a better insulation barrier. I also taped the insulation down using aluminum tape(on the outside). I then used 8鋳 insulated flex ducting to run the inlet and outlet. I kept the holes in the same places that I would have put them if/when mounting them permanently on the house. I tilted the panels back and put in another back draft device on the outlet so that I did not have a nighttime heat sink.
I then used some L brackets to hold the boxes to the deck and also put a piece of 2/4 under the boxes to keep them from sliding.
I want to enclose the sides of the boxes to trap any heat from escaping.
On a sunny day wow the heat carries. The LP heater is off and it heats the house. With the amount of ducting and size of the boxes the fans work great, quiet too.
The only problem is that new insulation smell. Hopefully it goes away quick. Now I
can plug in the fans before I go to work and turn them off when I get home.
Over all it痴 a fun project. I want to put handles on the sides and may put wheels on the sides so I can move them in the summer. I think that we may go to a full install by next year, I feel better cutting the house if I keep getting the same results and the smell goes away
shows the insulation, fans, dampers from the inside
Shows how I set up the fans to come through the window
Screen in place
Soffit
Panel with screen and soffit in place just needs the green house panel.
Finished heater panel
Panel in place
Close up of the duct work. I know I am sacrificing some efficiency but I wanted to make sure it works before I put it in the walls.
You can see that the curtains hid it when not being used. The heat coming out is great I am pretty impressed with the system.
I have to thank garygary for all his help. He really walked me though some areas where I was stuck.
Parts list
2- 4x8 sheets of plywood
4-2x6x12 pt lumber
2-2x4x12 pine
2-4x8 sheets of Twin Wall Polycarbonate Sheets
Twin Wall, 8mm Clear - GEMPLER'S
4-12 sealing strips for the polycarb
Aluminum tape
Silicon
Spray foam
High heat paint black
Aluminum screen in grey
Brown soffit painted with high heat paint
4 red oak vent covers Whittington Wooden Wall Return | Signature Hardware
4 Back draft Damper (I wanted a silent one not a metal one that we could hear) Whole house cooling fans, attic ventilation, exhaust fans, bathroom fans
2 Panasonic fans model fv-08wq1 venting fan, whisper quiet Panasonic FV-08WQ1 | Extra Quiet Bath Exhaust Fans | Westside Wholesale had it for the cheapest almost 70.00 less then anyone else.
2-4x8 sheets of polyisocyanurate insulation
2 tubes of foam glue
1 adjustable hole cutter (hard finding an 8鋳 bit)(ebay had it)
Cut the 2x6 down and attach to the plywood. Seal with silicon. Attach the insulation to the box you have just made. Seal with silicon. Once cured paint with high heat paint.
Cut the pine into 1x2 strips and paint with high heat paint. Fit into the box but do not attach yet. Cut the soffit down and paint (I made the soffit 2鋳 longer then needed so that I could cut and attach it to the box. Next check out the wiring and plan for your cuts.
Mark out studs. Cut and then attach the boxes. Put in the fan, duct, and damper. Add the wooden grill. I ran the cords to a light switch so that I can turn them on and off (that was the plan anyway).
What changed was, I was worried about this actually working and I was also worried about the thermal protection that the fan had (if it hits 94 degrees it turns off). So my plan instead of putting four holes in the wall, I decided to use a movable system so that in the summer time, I can put the boxes away when I put the ac in.
I cut another sheet of polyisocyanurate insulation to fit my double window. I then installed the fan and back draft protection (see above). I used two sections of insulation one on the inside and one on the outside to create a better insulation barrier. I also taped the insulation down using aluminum tape(on the outside). I then used 8鋳 insulated flex ducting to run the inlet and outlet. I kept the holes in the same places that I would have put them if/when mounting them permanently on the house. I tilted the panels back and put in another back draft device on the outlet so that I did not have a nighttime heat sink.
I then used some L brackets to hold the boxes to the deck and also put a piece of 2/4 under the boxes to keep them from sliding.
I want to enclose the sides of the boxes to trap any heat from escaping.
On a sunny day wow the heat carries. The LP heater is off and it heats the house. With the amount of ducting and size of the boxes the fans work great, quiet too.
The only problem is that new insulation smell. Hopefully it goes away quick. Now I
can plug in the fans before I go to work and turn them off when I get home.
Over all it痴 a fun project. I want to put handles on the sides and may put wheels on the sides so I can move them in the summer. I think that we may go to a full install by next year, I feel better cutting the house if I keep getting the same results and the smell goes away
shows the insulation, fans, dampers from the inside
Shows how I set up the fans to come through the window
Screen in place
Soffit
Panel with screen and soffit in place just needs the green house panel.
Finished heater panel
Panel in place
Close up of the duct work. I know I am sacrificing some efficiency but I wanted to make sure it works before I put it in the walls.
You can see that the curtains hid it when not being used. The heat coming out is great I am pretty impressed with the system.
